Press Article
Long-Lost Boy Laid to Rest 65 Years After Disappearance
In a poignant ceremony last Friday, a boy who vanished 65 years ago was finally laid to rest at St. Peter of Alcantara Church in Port Washington, Wisconsin. The remains of 7-year-old Markku Jutila, discovered in a culvert in Mequon, were honored during a Mass attended by law enforcement officials and community members, who filled the pews to remember the young life lost too soon.
Markku, given the name by his adoptive parents, William and Hilja Jutila, was reported missing in 1958. Recent DNA tests revealed his birth name to be Chester Breiney, a victim of tragedy orchestrated by his adoptive mother. After years of uncertainty, the case took a dark turn when, on March 26, 1966, William and Hilja were arrested in Chicago and confessed that Hilja had beaten the boy to death in their Coburntown home.
The couple fled, abandoning their home—leaving clothes on the line and food on the stove—before disposing of Markku’s remains in Wisconsin and starting anew in Chicago. Their confessions, however, did not lead to convictions due to insufficient evidence linking them to the remains.
The funeral service provided closure not only for Markku’s story, but also for a community that has long carried the weight of his disappearance. A children’s choir sang hymns, and the solemn event marked a final farewell to a life cut tragically short.
As families and friends gathered to commemorate Markku, it served as a reminder of the heartache and violence that can lie beneath the surface of small-town life, while also emphasizing the importance of community support in times of grief.
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Photo credit www.mininggazette.com
